Breakout from maximum-security prison in New York State ‘unheard of,’ UB expert says

Two inmates who escaped from upstate New York prison must have had assistance, says Charles Ewing

“Escapees are usually caught within a very, very short distance. This obviously took intelligence, planning, foresight and luck. This is almost inconceivable to me.”

Charles Ewing, law professor

University at Buffalo

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UB law professor Charles Ewing believes the inmates that escaped
had some assistance. Photo: Douglas Levere

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The average individual who attempts to
escape from prison gets caught within a very short distance of the
prison from which they escaped, according to University at Buffalo
law professor Charles Ewing.

The type of maximum-security escape of two inmates from an
Upstate New York prison last week? Unheard of, says Ewing, who
studies forensic psychology and violent behavior.

“They must be very intelligent because this sounds like
the movies,” he said. “Escapees are usually caught
within a very, very short distance. This obviously took
intelligence, planning, foresight and luck. This is almost
inconceivable to me.”

Most escape attempts take place outside of the prison – on
the way to a court trip, or medical trip, for example, Ewing said.
The inmates not only escaped in the most dangerous way possible,
but they clearly had intimate knowledge of the architecture and
geology of the prison, which suggests they had someone assisting
them, he said.

Ewing knows the Clinton Correctional Facility from which the
inmates escaped quite well and said the facilities are extremely
secure.

“Security just to visit to conduct interviews is
incredibly tight, so I am surprised, very surprised,” he
said. “It is very secure there. It just sounds so
extraordinary to me that inmates could pull this off. It seems they
must have had external assistance."

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